Plated and coated wire products find wide use in shelves, racks and other household conveniences. Products of this type are usually fabricated from metal wire formed to an appropriate shape and then plated or coated with a vinyl or other plastic material. The resultant plated or coated wire product is corrosion resistant. The plating or plastic coating is available in a variety of colors and provides a pleasing appearance. In addition, the coated plastic surface is readily cleanable.
For example, coated, stackable shelf units are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,320 entitled STACKABLE SHELF UNIT. Hangable, stackable basket units are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,125 entitled HANGABLE STACKABLE BASKET.
For many years metal hooks have been used to hang mugs or cups from a lower surface of a shelf in a cupboard. The use of such hooks provides for more efficient storage of the cups in view of the fact that merely placing the cups on the shelf in the cupboard makes no use of the space between the top of the cups and the next higher shelf. Often, it is undesirable to stack the cups one on top of the other because they are fragile and are readily breakable.
Prior art metal hooks for cups have come in a variety of forms including individual hooks which can be screwed into the lower surface of a shelf. Alternately, pluralities of hooks can be joined together and fastened to the underside of a shelf as a single unit. Cup- or mug-supporting assemblies have also been made of plastic-covered wire. Such assemblies have included a plate attachable to a bottom surface of a shelf. A rotary cup holder can be hung from or attached to the plate.
Separate hooks suffer from the fact that each must be individually screwed into the lower surface of a shelf. A plurality of hooks attached to a single mounting plate can be affixed to a shelf somewhat easier than can the individual hooks. However, all such assemblies have been installed by attaching the hooks or the mounting plate to a lower surface of a shelf using screws or like fasteners.
In many instances where an occupant is only a temporary resident, it is undesirable to use screws or other fasteners because of the resultant marks that are left in the cabinets. There is, therefore, a need for a hanging rack/organizer assembly which can easily be attached to a shelf but which does not require fasteners of the type which can scar or damage the cabinetry.
Both the separate hooks and the combined hooks also suffer from the need to reach into the cabinet to hang cups on the hooks or to remove cups from the hooks. Hence, there continues to be a need for an extendable organizer that can be conveniently moved, at least in part, from under the shelf to which it is attached.
Thus, there continues to be a need for organizers or hangers usable with mugs or cups which can easily be installed. Further, there continues to be a need for hangers usable with mugs or cups which provide convenient access to the mugs or cups and which can readily be kept clean.